Koutsounari Long Beach, Beach in the Lasithi regional unit, Crete, Greece
Koutsounari Long Beach is a long sandy beach on the southern coast of Crete, in the Lasithi regional unit east of Ierapetra. The shore is made up of coarse grey sand mixed with small pebbles, while tamarisk trees line certain sections and an eastern bay called Psaropoula offers calmer, more sheltered water.
The village of Koutsounari has been a small coastal settlement for generations, growing slowly as tourism developed along the southern coast of Crete. Over time, hotels and guesthouses appeared around the beach, turning a quiet fishing area into a low-key holiday spot.
The village name Koutsounari is thought to derive from the Greek word for a type of pine tree, which still grows along the shore today. Locals and visitors alike tend to gather under these trees during the hottest hours, turning the shaded patches into informal meeting spots.
The beach is easy to reach by car or bus along a paved road, and parking is available close to the shore. Because the coastline is so long, the eastern end tends to stay quieter even when the central sections are busier in summer.
In autumn, rare white lilies bloom in the sand and surrounding fields after the summer crowds have gone, making the beach look very different from its summer version. Between the two eastern coves stands an old building known as Villa Despoti, a name that translates roughly to 'Priest's Villa' in Greek, adding an unexpected detail to an otherwise simple stretch of coast.
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